Juniper Networks Gobbled by Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Network operators and telecoms service providers across the world will be watching with a great deal of interest, and some unease, after it was announced that HP Enterprise (HPE) has acquired Juniper Networks in an all-cash transaction for $40.00 per share, representing an equity value of approximately $14 billion (£11bn).

Juniper’s networking kit (routers, SDN, WiFi etc.) and related services are used by telecoms operators and IT companies across the world – of various difference sizes (e.g. UK broadband ISPs, data centres etc.) – and so any change on this front has the capacity to touch a lot of different players, including in the UK market.

According to the announcement, the combination of HPE and Juniper “advances HPE’s portfolio mix shift toward higher-growth solutions and strengthens its high-margin networking business, accelerating HPE’s sustainable profitable growth strategy“. The media release (here) is also peppered with mentions of AI and cloud technologies, as well as various other industry buzzwords.

The good news is that the newly combined company is pledged to “provide customers of all sizes” with a complete, secure portfolio that enables the networking architecture necessary to manage and simplify their expanding and increasingly complex connectivity needs. This may help to placate concerns that HPE might potentially re-focus the network biz to cater for more lucrative clients and thus cast aside the Service Provider (SP) market etc.

HPE President and CEO, Antonio Neri, said:

“HPE’s acquisition of Juniper represents an important inflection point in the industry and will change the dynamics in the networking market and provide customers and partners with a new alternative that meets their toughest demands.

This transaction will strengthen HPE’s position at the nexus of accelerating macro-AI trends, expand our total addressable market, and drive further innovation for customers as we help bridge the AI-native and cloud-native worlds, while also generating significant value for shareholders.

I am excited to welcome Juniper’s talented employees to our team as we bring together two companies with complementary portfolios and proven track records of driving innovation within the industry.”

Rami Rahim, CEO of Juniper Networks, added:

“Our multi-year focus on innovative, secure AI-native solutions has driven Juniper Networks’ outstanding performance. We have successfully delivered exceptional user experiences and simplified operations, and by joining HPE, I believe we can accelerate the next phase of our journey.

In addition, this combination maximizes value for our shareholders through a meaningful all-cash premium. We look forward to working with the talented HPE team to drive innovation for enterprise, service provider and cloud customers across all domains, including campus, branch, data center and the wide area network.”

The transaction is currently expected to close in late calendar year 2024 or early calendar year 2025, subject to all the usual regulatory and shareholder approvals. Upon completion of the transaction, Juniper CEO Rami Rahim will lead the combined HPE networking business, reporting to HPE President and CEO Antonio Neri.

Meanwhile, network operators will be watching very closely to see how the change impacts the vital Juniper kit and services they buy and use, particularly in terms of its cost, quality and performance. Rivals at Cisco, Nokia and others will also no doubt be keeping a close watch.